Travel Safer By Drinking Safer

Water is the most fundamental need in life, and increasingly we are told by experts to stay hydrated, especially during sports and travel. But when visiting far flung places, getting safe water is not always as easy as you might think. Even deep pocketed travelers staying in luxury hotels or resorts need to worry about water, especially on safari or in places like India and Southeast Asia.

Once upon a time, if you wanted safe drinking water while traveling or camping, you had a simple choice: boil your water thoroughly (tough without a pot and stove), add iodine tablets (bad taste) or drink bottled water (impossible in the wilderness, uncertain in many developing nations). Then came handheld filters, and they were a great breakthrough, but mainly for the backwoods crowd. One popular manufacturer was LifeStraw, which produced a filtered straw, meant to be used while laying on your stomach and drinking from a stream. That was great for wilderness expeditions and “Survivorman,” but not so much for filling your water bottle for a regional flight or a cruise down the Amazon.

Fast forward to 2016, and there are a number of filtering or purification systems built right into conventional water bottles. One of the most notable is LifeStraw’s newest offering, the LifeStraw Go water bottle. It’s a wide mouth screw top design like the better choices for travel, but adds two-stage protection: first it removes bacteria and protozoa, like the original LifeStraw, but also adds a new carbon capsule that reduces chlorine, bad taste and odor. Water filtered through it will meet domestic EPA standards for drinking water, and it features a flip-top bite valve and carabineer for attaching to backpacks. It’s less expense than similar water bottles using UV purification and does not require batteries. The bottle holds 22 ounces and is BPA free. Additionally, for each LifeStraw purchased, the company’s “Follow the Liters” program will provide one school child in a developing community with safe drinking water for a full school year.

The LifeStraw Go with 2-stage filtration is $50 but be careful, because they still sell the original LifeStraw Go, with the same name (with a single filtration system) for $30, but this lacks the carbon filter. It’s pretty obvious on the company’s website but perhaps not as much if you are buying from another retailer.

It’s a good idea to travel with a water bottle anyway, no matter how upscale your trip, so why not use one that has a built in insurance policy, especially outside of this country?

Here’s the tech data: Stage one is a hollow fiber membrane that removes 99.9999 percent of bacteria (E. coli and salmonella), 99.9 percent of protozoa (Giardia, Cryptosporidium, etc.), and reduces turbidity by filtering particulate matter larger than 0.2 microns. Stage two is an activated carbon capsule that reduces chlorine, organic chemical matter (like herbicides and pesticides), and bad taste. Stage one filters up to 264 gallons, stage two 26 gallons, and replacements are available for both. The bottle comes in five different colors.

I'm The Gear Diva and women's fitness, fun and fashion are important to me. I've pedaled thousands of miles, hiked to over 18,000 feet, surfed, dove, white water rafted, enjoyed safaris, practiced yoga for years, and skied with World Cup racers. I may not always keep up, but...